Machine plants for the continuous automatic production of planks of predetermined length



June 17, 1958 w. MULLER 2,839,099

MACHINE PLANTS 'FOR THE CONTINUOUS AUTOMATIC PRODUCTION OF PLANKS OFPREDETERMINED LENGTH 29 A 26 mm Filed May 4, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 E\:"LZ; IIIII/II'II'II'I'IIIIIIlh a I i 5 20 21 25 A AA Go 51 f4:- 1 I z/ 6952 V I r 79 '78 //////////fl/////////// /////l/ZZ June 17, 19582,839,099

' W. MULLER MACHINE PLANTS FOR THE CONTINUOUS AUTOMATIC PRODUCTION OFPLANKS OF PREDETERMINED LENGTH Filed May 4, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June'17, 1958 w. MULLER 2,339,099

MACHINE PL ANTS FOR THE CONTINUOUS AUTOMATIC PRODUCTION OF PLANKS OFPREDETERMINED LENGTH Filed May 4, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 United StatesPatent MACHINE PLANTS FOR THE CONTINUOUS AUTO- MATIC PRODUCTION OFPLANKS OF PREDE- TERD'HNED LENGTH I Walter Miiller, Auw, SwitzerlandApplication May 4, 1955, Serial No. 506,023 Claims priority, applicationSwitzerland May 6, 1954 3 Claims. c1. 143-41 The invention relates to amachine plant for the production of planks. Its main object is thecontinuous production of such'planks, the cutting of the same intosections of a predetermined length and the stacking of said sections.

The invention will now be described more in detail The laths L, cut tothe appropriate size, are placed side by side and parallel to oneanother on a table 34 (shown on the right hand side of Fig. 1) and aremoved by transporting means to be described later more in detail towardsthe left in Fig. 1 and 2 over the table 34 and tables 35, 36 arranged inthe same horizontal plane.

These transporting means are driven from a motor by means of an endlesschain 11, which is passed over return sprocketed wheels 12 and oversprocketed wheels 13 and 14 on the shafts 15 and 16 respectively, whichare thereby driven in the direction of the arrow A. On the shaft 15 afeeder roller 17 having a smooth surface, a sprocketed wheel 18 and agear wheel 19 are mounted. From the sprocket wheel 18 a sprocket Wheel121 on a shaft 21 is driven by means of a chain 20, and by this shaft adriving roller 22 for an endless conveyer belt 23, which belt is passedover the surface of the said table 34 and around a carrier roller 25mounted on a shaft 24.

The gear wheel 19 is in mesh with a gear wheel 26 mounted on a shaft 27.On this shaft 27 is mounted a carrier roller 18 for ribbed endlesscaterpillar bands 29, which are passed also over a carrier roller 30.The carrier roller 28 is preferably provided with slip coupling means insuch a manner that the feed can be effected by each caterpillar band 29.This may be of importance when an elongated lath of non-standard heightbrings its associated caterpillar band to a standstill. The otherelongated laths are then carried along, independently of the arrestedone. The shaft 31 of the last mentioned carrier roller can be forceddownwardly with a pressure force selected by means of a hand wheel 32and of a spring 33.

The shaft 27 of the roller 28 is positively connected with the shaft 15by means of the meshing gears 26 and 19. The carrier roller 30 is freelyturnable together with the shaft 31, but is pressed downwardly by thepressure force of the spring 33. The caterpillar bands 29 are drivenfrom the roller 28; if for some reason the feed of the board is blocked,the bands 29 can slide on the roller 28, owing to the aforementionedslip coupling.

The shafts 15, 16, 21 and 24 .are mounted parallel to one another. Theaforesaid fixed table tops 34, 35, 36 are arranged in alignment in ahorizontal plane above the shafts 16, 15, 21.

w 2,839,099 hatche June 17, 1958 Above the table top 34 and the conveyerbelt 23 and tablev top 35, respectively, parallel stationary guides 37are arranged in the direction C of the feed in alignment, with whichoutentfixed, guides 38 and inner, movable, guides 39 are arrangedoverthe table top 36. In alignment with the outer. guides 38, furtherouter guides 41 are arranged over the table top 36, the horizontaldistance between which diminishes-uniformly in the direction C ofthefeed...v

The innerguides' 39 are hollow bodies having discharge holes for glue attheir flank faces. Liquid glue is supplied tothem through pipes 42 froma glue con: tainer by the action of an air compressor 44.

.A gear wheel mounted on the shaft 16 meshes with a gear wheel 47mounted on a shaft46 from which a ribbed feeder roller 49; is driventhrough a chain drive 48, which roller can be pressed downwardly at anadjustable forceby the, aid of, a hand wheel 50 and of a loading spring51. A lower, smooth, feeder roller 149 is mounted on the=shaft 16..

The manner-of ,operation of the components of the machine describedsofar is as :follows:

- When elongated .laths:L, cut to. size and planed, are pushed from. thefeeder table 34 onto the conveyer belt 23 between the guides 37, thesame are pressed by the actionof the conveyer belt 123 and of thecaterpillar bands 29' ontothetable tops35 and 3.6, andare .pushedtowards in the "direction C, the left. They then get over the table top36 between the flank faces of the guides 38 and 41 which are angularlyrelated. By the guides 41 the laths with the glue applied to them arepushed towards one another, and are then pressed once more on the tabletop 36 by the feeder roller 49.

The table top 36 is continued by a table top 52 on the sides of whichpressing rollers 53 and abutment ledges 54 bear resiliently on the sidefaces of the boards B composed of the laths, the elfective pressureforce being adjustable by a hand wheel 55. Over the table top 52 an arearadiation heating element 56, for instance an infra-red radiationor highfrequency heating-element, is arranged by the action of which the gluejoints are dried quickly. At the end of the table top 52 accordingly thecomposite lath boards B emerge readily glued.

The subsequent section of the machine comprises two parallel guide bars60 for a slidable motor saw carriage 61. Laterally on the carriage 61the motor casing 62 is supported by a pivoted pin 64 with the aid of atransverse bar 63, while a roller 65 at the other end of the bar 63contacts an upper guide face of a stationary cam 66. From the carriage61 a pull rod 67 with an adjustable abutment 68 projects in thedirection C of feed of the glued boards B. When the forward front edgeof the board B strikes this abutment 68, the carriage 61 with the motorcasing 62 is pulled forward in direction C by the pull rod 67; thereby acounterweight 70 is raised by the shortening of the suspension length ofa cord line 69.

When then the guide roller 65 reaches a recess 71 of the cam 66, therotary saw 72 of the motor 62 cuts the board B oif transversely, whiletravelling in the direction of feed of the board B at the same speed.Later the guide roller 65 is raised again to its former level, so thatthe rotary saw 72 is lifted off the board again. When the forward frontedge of the board B reaches a member 73 which is adjustable along guiderods 173 the 0n the transverse bar 6; a p're'sser shoe 7'? is mounted,which is pressed downwardly b9 the action of a spring 76. On'thecarriage 61 a pin 78 is-arranged from which a pull cord'79 runs over astationary deflector roller 80 to a pivotally mounted lifting member 81,which raises the rearend offthe cut off boa'i'd whenthecari'iage 61moves back, in order that the neitpieee of board can be pushed under thesame; p i

The lifting member 81 will be actiiated durin'g the beginning of theretraction movement of the 'carriage r.

andwill remain in the board lifting position, lifting" the stakfo'fboards above it (Fig-'13) until the carriage 61 has'alm'os't returnedduring" its next forward movement to the forward-most position, so thatthe next succeeding board will he 'slid below the'raised stack "I p Ihave described hereinabave and illustrated in the accompanying drawingswhat may be considered a typical and articular useful -embeaiment arm'said invention, 1 wish it to be unscrewed that I senor limit myself tothe particular details anakaifiiensiens described and ill u strated, fordevices moaifieatien 'Will been to a person skilled in the art.

WhatI claim as my invention and'de'si're to secure by Letters Patenflis:V 1 g v 1. In a board processing machine having meai s for continuouslyfeeding a boai'd' in ene 'uireetien, board severing means comprisingn'eempmgnem a stiqega carriage movable on said slide in said directioner feeding'aiid opposite thereto, alpa'gv r ma ned on said carriage; andbeing movable withsaid carriage also 30 in a transverse movement at,i-igh't angles "re the direction of board feeding into, and respectivelybut bf,the feeding pa't-hlof saidaboard to board severin abutment meansconnected to said carriage and operable to be releasably engaged by theleading edge of said board for moving said saw in said direction offeeding, retracting means operable for returning said saw in a directionopposite to said feeding direction upon release of the leading edge fromthe abutment means, and guiding means operable for guiding said sawduring the transverse movement. a

2. In a board processing machine, as claimed in claim 1, said guidingmeans including a stationary earn, a guide connected to said carriageand movable in a direction transversely of said feed direction, said sawincluding a circular saw blade journalle'd on said guide and movabletherewith, the axis of rotation of said saw. blade being parallel withsaidfeed direction, said guide including an extension forming a camfollowed for said cam.

3. In a board processing machine as claimed in claim 1, together with,meaneadjustably; positioned; in the path of said leading edge andoperabletoengage it to raise a portion of said board adjacent saidleading edge thereby disengagingsaid leading edge from said abutmentmeans. a 4

References Cited in the file at this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

